Infamous Brewing Company’s IPA: When in Austin…

This was going to be the year that my wife and I conquered Kanza as a team. We had been training most of the winter and all spring with that goal. However, less than a week before we were to hit the road for Kansas, I got news that the scheduling of a work conflict was moved forward a week. Instead of riding bikes in Emporia, I was going to be working in Austin. Two of the few enjoyments of that trip were Texas BBQ and trying some local beers. Infamous Brewing Company’s IPA was one of the highlights.
The beer pours a gorgeous golden orange. Yes, I know that sunlight can rather quickly skunk an IPA, but I couldn’t help admiring the shimmer in the early evening sun. Though the white, soft, dense head lingered in a defined contrast to the liquid below, the overall palate was complimentary and beautiful.
I’m not sure the age of the can, but the aroma was a bit subdued. The largest contributor was a malt base which reminded me of emptying the spent grain from the mash tun on brew days. The scent is slightly sweet with notes of butterscotch. With a swirl, a tease of piney hops can be coaxed from the beer.
The 7.0% beer has a nice creaminess but little carbonation burn. The front of the tongue instead picks up a on a dull bitterness. As the beer flows over the tongue the middle picks up a caramel malt sweetness as an intermediary between the dull initial bitterness and a more pronounced and piney hop burn on the back of the tongue. The grassy hop flavor does linger in the aftertaste, but the slight malt sweetness is again detected on the middle and front of the tongue as the aftertaste fades.
The beer is outdoors friendly and comes in six-packs of cans. I also had it on draft and noticed a defined increase in the dankness of the draft beer. Maybe I grabbed an older sixer, but I don’t see a date on the can.
The beer seems to only be distributed in Texas, so you might have to work out some beer trades if you want to try this one. Or do like me, and try it while you’re visiting for business or pleasure. Let me tell you it pairs mighty fine with jalapeno smoked sausage and jalapeno bacon mac ‘n cheese. I think you’ll find that this combination might just be one of the highlights of your trip to the Live Music Capital of the World as well.
Cheers,
Alex
Bikepacker Friendliness (cans travel well but this beer tastes the best around 60 degrees)…8/10
Aroma (subdued sweetness and the hop aroma was a bit shy)…6/10
Flavor (well-balanced but a little light on all fronts)…7/10
Style appropriateness (stats support it’s right down the middle of style guidelines)…8/10
Alex writes a beer review every other Friday. Two weeks ago he reviewed the Two Evil Geyser Gose: Drink It Like It’s Hot